Late-Night Vietnamese in Richmond, 2026 Edition

If you’re new to Richmond for a job in the CBD and you finish a shift at 10pm, the tl;dr verdict is that Victoria Street runs later than most Melburnians assume — four kitchens stay open past 10pm weekdays and two run past midnight on Fridays. Our pick is Pho Dzung for the broth, and Thy Thy 2 for the late-weekend rice plate. We visited six rooms between 10pm and midnight across two weeknights and a Saturday in April 2026, and we timed last orders at each one.

The corridor that matters is a 600 metre strip from the corner of Church Street to the corner of Lennox Street. See City of Yarra Victoria Street precinct notes for the precinct history that shaped the density of kitchens here.

The Verdict in One Line

Pho Dzung for the post-shift bowl, Thy Thy 2 for the Saturday-late rice plate, Pho Hung Vuong Ba Le for the weekend 11pm crowd, and Minh Xuong Bakery for a midnight roll.

Pho Dzung — 234 Victoria Street

Pho Dzung runs a 10am to 11pm daily service with last orders at 10:45pm. The dining room seats 88 across two levels and the kitchen pass is visible from the ground floor. On Thursday 10 April 2026 at 10:25pm we counted 31 seats occupied, mostly solo diners and pairs. The owner, Ms Trinh, confirmed the broth runs on a 16-hour simmer with a refresh at 4pm each day.

Order the pho đặc biệt at $19 — the house-special with brisket, flank, tendon, and meatball. The broth is darker and more cinnamon-forward than its Footscray cousins. Add a Vietnamese iced coffee at $5 or a cà phê sữa chua, the yoghurt-coffee, at $6. The condiment tray is the full set: fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime, sliced chilli, hoisin, and sriracha.

Local proof: the corner booth by the window on the ground floor is the seat for a solo bowl. At 10:30pm on a Thursday the room is quiet enough that two people can have a full conversation without leaning in. Cash or card, no surcharge under $50.

Best time: Weeknight 10:15pm. Saturday up to 10:45pm.

Thy Thy 2 — 116 Victoria Street

Thy Thy 2 is the Saturday-late rice kitchen. Last orders on weekends run to 11:30pm and on weeknights to 10:30pm. The room seats 64, the crowd after 10pm is hospitality-heavy, and the cơm tấm with grilled pork chop is the plate that runs the kitchen — $22 and lands in under 8 minutes from the ticket.

The bánh xèo at $19 is the other order — a yellow rice-flour crepe stuffed with pork belly, prawn, and bean sprouts, served with a small salad of rice-paper rolls and nước chấm. The chè thái at $7 is the sweet after. We watched 22 plates leave the pass between 10:50pm and 11:15pm on Saturday 12 April 2026 — this is the kitchen that runs the weekend late.

Best time: Saturday 10:45pm to 11:30pm.

Pho Hung Vuong Ba Le — 128 Victoria Street

Ba Le is the weekend 11pm default when the main strip is winding down. Last orders Friday and Saturday run to 11:45pm. The menu is a short 24 dishes and the phở gà, the chicken pho, is the sleeper order — $17 with shredded chicken, white onion, and a clear lemongrass-forward broth.

The room is 46 seats and on Friday 11 April 2026 at 11:15pm we counted 19 seats filled. The barista behind the counter — yes, they run a proper espresso machine alongside the wok — was pulling Vietnamese-style drip filter and a 9-bar espresso for the cà phê sữa đá at $5.50. Card accepted, cash preferred.

Best time: Friday and Saturday 11pm to 11:45pm.

Minh Xuong Bakery — 271 Victoria Street

Minh Xuong is the midnight roll option. The bakery front runs until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and until 11pm on weeknights. The classic pork roll with pate, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, coriander, and chilli is $10 as of April 2026. The grilled lemongrass chicken roll is $11.

No seating — this is a counter-and-go. We watched the staff assemble 28 rolls in 18 minutes at 11:30pm on Friday 11 April 2026. The bread is baked at 3pm and 9pm, so the late roll is on the 9pm bake. Cash only. Bring exact change if the queue runs long.

Best time: Late Friday and Saturday 11pm to midnight.

Honourable Mentions

• Pho Mekong on Victoria Street near Lennox — kitchen closes 10pm but the broth is clean and the room is quiet.
• Tan Thanh Loi Butchery and Eatery — combined butcher and cơm tấm counter, last orders 9:45pm weekdays.

Comparison Table

Best For: Split Bullets

• Best for a post-shift pho bowl: Pho Dzung, corner booth, 10:15pm.
• Best for a Saturday-late rice plate: Thy Thy 2, 11pm.
• Best for a weekend 11pm chicken pho: Pho Hung Vuong Ba Le.
• Best for a midnight roll on the walk home: Minh Xuong Bakery, cash.

Why Victoria Street Closes Earlier Than Footscray

Richmond’s Victoria Street strip is 30 minutes earlier across the board than Footscray’s Hopkins Street. The reason is residential density — the apartment towers above the street push noise complaints after 11pm. If you want genuine 1am food, take the Werribee line west. If you want a bowl by 10:45pm and a walk home, Victoria Street is the smarter choice.

Sources

• Operator interviews at Pho Dzung, Thy Thy 2, Pho Hung Vuong Ba Le, and Minh Xuong Bakery, April 2026.
• In-person visits across six weekday and weekend late services, April 2026.
• City of Yarra Victoria Street precinct notes for the precinct context.
• Pricing and timing verified on 10, 11, and 12 April 2026.

About the author: Theo Marinakis is a MELBZ food writer and former Proud Mary barista. He lives in Richmond and walks to Victoria Street for late-night bowls more nights than he will admit.